MARYLAND HEIGHTS – The players on the St. Joseph’s field hockey team write a message on the underside of their wrist that they carry with them onto the field.
This year, they chose the letters DIG to represent an acronym for Discipline, Intensity and Grit.
“We thought that stepping on the field every game with determination and grit as our mindset will make us leave it all out on the field,” senior captain Lylah Kaminski said.
The Angels dug deep to win three games, including a pair of one-goal thrillers, and captured the Pool C championship at the 27th Gateway Classic Field Hockey Tournament Friday and Saturday at Sport Port in Maryland Heights.
Kaminski exemplified the St. Joseph’s motto during the tournament opener against familiar foe, MICDS. Late in the first half, a shot by junior Mia Ryan caromed off the pad of Rams’ goalie Amelia Mackin and squirted to Kaminski, who blasted a shot into the cage to open the scoring.
“We were talking about having second and third effort in the circle, making sure we were there for the rebound after the first shot, and we found success in that,” said Kaminski, a University of Louisville commit.
Early in the third quarter, MICDS tied the game when sophomore Lydia Brown executed a slick one-handed deflection off a long pass from junior Katherine Schott.
The beautiful Rams’ connection required St. Joseph’s to remain determined. The Angels slowly regained momentum and found the go-ahead goal from an unlikely source – reserve sophomore forward Lydia Laughlin.
A penalty corner earned by Kaminski did not produce a goal, but it forced a scramble situation by the MICDS defense. An errant pass found the stick of Laughlin in the center of the circle and she was ready to capitalize.
“I was marking, looking at the spaces that were open and trying to cut off that transfer pass,” Laughlin said. “It came to me and I thought, ‘Let’s go. This is the time. Shoot it.’”
She blasted home her first varsity goal.
“A surreal moment,” she said.
The fifth consecutive victory by the Angels over MICDS required more intensity and grit in the fourth quarter. Goalie Mary Malloy made a trio of outstanding saves in the closing minutes, and the defense, led by senior KK Dooley, thwarted a final MICDS corner opportunity to preserve a hard-fought win.
The Angels’ second game of the Gateway Classic against Wilmette Loyola Academy (IL) began only three hours after their emotional victory over local rival, MICDS. Again, St. Joseph’s had to dig deep in the final minutes to preserve a 2-1 victory. In the finale against Louisville Collegiate, the Angels scored early and then put on the defensive clamps to preserve a 2-0 victory.
“It doesn’t matter what the name on the other jersey says, we’re going give our all until the last second of the game and we’re going to hold ourselves to high standards,” said Dooley, a Fairfield University commit.
St. Joseph’s took their ‘DIG’ mantra to a new level during a miraculous sequence in the 2024 state quarterfinal. Trailing 2-1 to Ladue, St. Joseph’s earned a penalty corner as time expired in the fourth quarter. With triple zeroes on the clock, the Angels saved their season by perfectly executing a tip play and tying the score.
Ryan scored the game-winner in 7-on-7 overtime to propel St. Joseph’s to its third consecutive trip to the final four.
“That game against Ladue proved that the game can change in the last 30 seconds and that we have to put in the work, because every minute matters,” said Ryan, an Indiana University commit.
Game story from St. Joseph’s vs Ladue 2024 state quarterfinal:
Despite losing several impactful players to graduation, including leading goal scorer Anna Spalitto and current Harvard freshman Jo Carollo, St. Joseph’s is hoping to make another deep postseason run when October comes around, and this weekend was a big step towards that goal.
“We have a lot of young talent. They might not have played at the varsity level before, but we’re going to get them to a place where they’re ready to compete against all the great teams and great players we face,” Dooley said.
And when the moments get intense and the game is on the line, the Angels have found the formula to pull out victory from the jaws of defeat.
“We stay positive, build each other up, and we know we’re there for each other,” Ryan said.
All while playing with determination, intensity and grit.
For photo galleries from the 27th Gateway Classic visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2025-Season